Just months after the Sputnik launch, the U.S government began testing the Vanguard project. Exactly 60 years ago, on March 17th 1958, Vanguard 1 was sent into space from Cape Canaveral, Florida, becoming the second satellite launched by the U.S. Watch TV shows, movies and more on Yahoo View. About NBC News MACH Mach asks big questions and celebrates big ideas. It champions science & innovation, challenges technology, and explores our universe. See More Check out more stuff on Yahoo View

This is the fourth competition under the current Phase 1A EELV procurement where there has been more than one competitor for national security space missions. WASHINGTON — The Air Force on Wednesday awarded two major launch contracts to SpaceX and United Launch Alliance. Under the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program, SpaceX received a $290 million firm-fixed-price contract for three GPS 3 missions. ULA was awarded a $351 million firm-fixed-price deal for Air Force Space Command (AFSPC)-8 and AFSPC-12 satellites launches. The contracts include launch vehicle production, mission integration, launch…

This article originally appeared in the March, 12, 2018 issue of SpaceNews magazine. Inhabitants of the tiny tropical island of St. Helena pay through the nose for internet service that mainlanders would have considered painfully slow during the pre-Netflix era. The British-governed territory depends on the geostationary satellite Intelsat 23 to connect its 4,500 residents to the outside world. That satellite provides the island’s only internet and international telephone connection via a single 7.6-meter dish. Kedell Worboys, St. Helena’s U.K. representative, and Nevin Mimica, commissioner for international cooperation and development,…

WASHINGTON — Blue Origin has added a fourth customer to its launch manifest for the still-in-development New Glenn rocket. “We are honored to have SKY Perfect JSAT as a customer for an early New Glenn launch,” Bob Smith, Blue Origin’s chief executive, told SpaceNews. “They are the biggest commercial satellite operator in Asia and highly respected. The whole team at Blue thanks SKY Perfect JSAT for placing its trust in us to take them to orbit.” The Jeff Bezos-owned company also announced March 12 that mu Space, a Thai startup,…

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump offered praise for the U.S. commercial space industry in comments March 8 that appeared to cement previous policy on the issue rather than create new policy. Near the end of a 20-minute session with the media during a Cabinet meeting, Trump discussed commercial spaceflight, prompted by the presence of models of several launch vehicles, including United Launch Alliance’s Atlas 5 and SpaceX’s Falcon 9, on the table. The status of the National Space Council, chaired by Vice President Mike Pence, was one of the topics…

The rocket was launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida. It was made by Spanish firm Hispasat. Mr Musk said the Hispasat satellite is the “largest geostationary satellite we’ve ever flown”. It weighs more than 13,400 pounds (6,092 kilograms) — making it one of the heaviest payloads for SpaceX. Tweeting ahead of the launch, he said: “Falcon 9 flight 50 launches tonight, carrying Hispasat for Spain. At 6 metric tons and almost the size of a city bus, it will be the largest geostationary satellite we’ve ever flown.” Usually after SpaceX…

The US-based rocket manufacturer reached a space flight milestone in the wee morning hours on Tuesday – the 50th ever Falcon 9 flight. Since the first Falcon 1 demo flight in March 2006, the company has made leaps and bounds in the field of rocket engineering. You can now re-live that 50th flight from the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, thanks to the SpaceX webcast stream below. The imposing Falcon 9 rocket took off to the deafening roar of its Merlin engines just after 12.33am EDT (5.33am GMT) on…

WASHINGTON — SpaceX launched its 50th Falcon 9 rocket on March 6, carrying a large telecom satellite for Spanish fleet operator Hispasat. The Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 12:33 a.m., and deployed the six-ton satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit 33 minutes later. SpaceX did not attempt to land the Falcon 9’s first stage after the mission due to poor weather conditions that prevented sending the drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You” out to sea. Hispasat 30W-6 is the largest…

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket made a trip to space for the 50th time early Tuesday morning, East Coast time. The mission itself wasn’t among the company’s most spectacular: there was no dramatic landing of the first-stage booster or Roadster being launched toward Mars. Instead, the feat involved just a bus-size Spanish communications satellite named Hispasat 30W-6 being transported to orbit high above the equator. But the fact that Elon Musk’s space company reached the milestone in less than eight years is impressive when you consider it took both the…

Tonight’s launch marks a special anniversary for SpaceX – the 50th ever Falcon 9 launch – and rocket enthusiasts have been invited to join in. SpaceX is targeting a two-hour launch window at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, sometime after midnight tonight. The YouTube live stream above will kick off 15 minutes prior top the liftoff time of 12.33am EDT (5.33am GMT) on Tuesday March 6. Forecasters are currently expecting a 90 percent chance of clear weather condition tonight, giving SpaceX the green light to liftoff from…